Manual adhesive tape dispenser.

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a manual device for dispensing tape, with or without adhesive, that can be used in tape reels made of organic, inorganic or synthetic materials, it also relates to a novel shear-type tape-cutting mechanism, which performs the tape cutting and dispatching operation due to the concentration of efforts at two points of the tape.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to manual or automatic devices currently used to easily dispense or dose a specific amount of tape, with or without adhesive, made from any material of organic, inorganic or synthetic origin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Reel tape was invented by Dr. Horace Day in 1845 to make it easier for patients to heal. Since then, the development and use of adhesive tape has been growing and encompasses all human activities.

From the beginning and in order to facilitate the application, a number of devices that allow the issuance or dosing of these tapes have been developed. There are manual and automatic devices, the latter mainly driven by electrical energy, however, in all of them the operating principle is similar with only a few differences.

An example of these are patents U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,527B2, JPH1081443A, CN205274854 JP2006151680A, JP2011136832A, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,447,518, 3,283,977, 5,490,642, 6,848,489, 7,841,498, US20100193539, US20130087275 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,522.

In all of them the principle of operation is as follows, it is promoted that the reel rotates on its center and delivers a certain amount of tape, at one end of the device, a cutting element with a saw profile tears and detaches the amount of tape required, another element prevents the tape reel from rotating in the reverse direction, finally, in some cases, the tape end is attached to some element to allow it to be taken again easily.

In none of the documents mentioned above, nor in any other of the state of the art, there is a device that allows the strip to be detached from the reel by making two transversal cutting incisions (instead of “tearing” it using a saw tooth element), none of them shows the cutting principle nor the configuration of the components to perform the function of the novel mechanism that is presented now.

Moreover, the functionality problem of all these hand-held devices, used to dispense tape, is that simple devices operate erratically to partially fulfilling these functions and, those more complete, are really complicated, composed of a multitude of parts that make them heavy, difficult to operate, transport or manipulate and, in all of them, for the detachment of the tape, an element with saw profile is used to cut it by tearing. In all of them this operation is coarse and sometimes difficult to carry out, especially when the thickness or size of the adhesive tape is large or when the position of the device for the application of adhesive tape turns out to be uncomfortable, it requires a large strength, as well as rotating wrist movements to be able to cut the tape. In a study of times and movements, when these situations occur, a large percentage of the total time of operation is invested in cutting (tearing) the tape and in many cases, this comes off incorrectly, leaving an unpleasant aspect.

In particular, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,310,522 mentioned before, that was issued to Gorbatenko Dimitri L, a tape dispenser consisting of two cylindrical structures #12 and #26 is presented, which are joined together forming a closed compartment and where the tape is located inside, which a portion of tape #35 is dosed through compartment exit #11 and a blade #20 that slides horizontally over the compartment and is driven by the action exerted by the operator's thumb on point #23 cutting and detaching with it the portion of tape in reference #35, however this development solves the problem in a partial way by not having secured the tape reel in its interior coupled with the operation of this device that can easily hurt the thumb of the operator.

It requires a device that solves this operation in a novel way that allows:

-   -   1. To have a comfortable, lightweight and easy to manipulate         device.     -   2. That allows to load and unload the adhesive tape reel easily         and safely for the operator.     -   3. That its manipulation is not dangerous.     -   4. Composed of the least amount of parts.     -   5. And above all, to make the cutting (and not a tearing) of         tape, in an easy manner and done it in a fraction of seconds.

Following, a manual device is presented to dispense tape with or without adhesive, made with very few parts, which is comfortable, safe and functional, that allows its operation in an easily and quickly manner, that the mechanical configuration allows, either with a rotating wrist movement or with the application of thumb pressure, to perform the cutting of the tape (and not a tearing of it).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This device consists of the following parts:

1. Handle. 2. Retractable arm. 3. Arm Bridge. 4. Arm opening for tape entry. 5. Saw toothed blade. 6. Shear 7. Coil spring or spring lever of the arm. 8. Spring of the Arm Bridge. 9. Stop of the Shear. 10. Spring axis. 11. Drive Shear Tab. 12. Shear Lower Tab. 13. Reel of tape 14. Surface of the tape reel 15. Arm Lever 16. Blade Cutting Hook. 17. Adhesive tape 18. Hook for attaching a travel strap. 19. Shaft for placement and pivoting axis. 20. Cutting mechanism 21. Spring system. 22. Handle Body. 23. Axle supports. 24. Body cavity to accommodate spring system. 25. Axis of the Arm to place Knife. 26. First segment of the Arm. 27. Second segment of the Arm 28. Third segment of the Arm 29. Extreme side of the Blade 30. “U” Knife of the Shear 31. Arm pivot axis. 32. Extreme points of a transverse line of the tape.

It presents a novel dispensing device or dispenser of adhesive tape which has a handle or Semicircular Handle #1 with a retractable Arm #2 that pivots on the first, at the end of Arm #2, a novel mechanical shear type cutter is driven by a wrist movement of the operator, or by the force exerted on the Drive Shear Tab #11 by the operator's thumb, this mechanism applies the principle of concentration of efforts when making two small cutting incisions on the transverse line of the tape in where it requires to be detached, when making these two small cuts at the transverse ends of the tape, all the tension force that will be exerted on it when wanting to detach it will be concentrated on the two points located at the end of the cuts made. This is the same stress concentration principle used in the industry for cutting other materials such as granite, glass or diamond.

The novel cutting mechanism is installed at the end of Retractable Arm #2 and it operates in two possible ways, the first one, by exerting pressure with the operator's thumb on Arm Bridge #3, which will overcome spring #8 to force descend the said Arm, with this, Shear #6, which is made of a resilient material, will rise just as the rim #12 rests on the surface of the adhesive tape reel #14, lifting it up to operate sharply against Cut Hooks #16 of Blade #5 and, in the second, directly pressing the tab of Shear #11 with operator's thumb, which will obtain the same results. An alternative way for the first option of the two methods mentioned above can be carried out with a rotational movement of the operator's wrist, which will force the tape to apply pressure to the Tab #11 reproducing the same effects on the cutting mechanism mentioned above (FIG. 7).

In a simpler version of this invention, a serrated Knife #5 (lacking Knife Cut Hooks #16) cuts the tape by the cutting teeth located on it and, a piece, similar to Shear #6 pivoting on axis #19, it is used to detach it from Blade #5 as well as to place the tape in an elevated position (due to tab #11) once it has been detached in order to take it easily again.

The retractable Arm #2 is pivoted on the Handle #1, the retractable feature is obtained by a coiled spring or flat spring #7 supported on the axis #10, which exerts a force (torque) at all times on the lever Arm #15, which are located in cavity #24, inside the Handle #1, this mechanism has the characteristic of exerting a levering force on the retractable Arm #2 until it reaches an opening angle close to 90 degrees FIG. 4, this feature will be useful when installing on a new reel of adhesive tape #13, to achieve this, the Retractable Arm #2 must be opened and exceed this point, this will allow the Handle #1 to be inserted easily inside a new reel of tape #13, then, Arm #2 will be folded down so that it remains attached to the reel exerting a slight retention force, the tape masquerades as the Aperture of the Arm or #4 shown in FIG. 2, being ready to operate.

The new retractable Arm #2 is presented, this is a structural element capable of accommodating at its end all the components necessary to carry out the cutting operations described above, it is made of a solid one-piece structure, which is easy to manufacture and it is economical, is because its curved shape that it will be able to allow the assembly of a tape reel in an easy and fast way, also, it allows to keep the tape end held in a high position on the Tab of the Shear #11 and to keep it ready to be taken by the operator easily and safely.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTS

This development is basically composed of two elements:

-   -   The first element is the Handle #1, it is a semi-cylindrical         element that in its upper part has a body #22, said body has a         cavity #24, said body #22 serves to manually hold the Handle #1         by using the 3 central fingers of the operator's hand, while the         thumb of the same operator's hand presses the Bridge #3 of the         Arm #2, inside the cavity #24 of this body #22 houses a         retractable mechanism #21, consisting of a support shaft #10 and         a torsion spring or flat spring #7, said mechanism #21 works by         applying a force on lever #15 of Arm #2, achieving a retractable         effect on the latter, since axis #31 of Arm #2 rests axially         along this body #22.

The Handle #1 is placed on the inside contour of the reel of tape #13, allowing the latter to rotate concentrically on the former when the tape is dispatched.

The second element that comprise this development is Arm #2, this is an irregularly shaped element preferably made of a structurally resilient material, such as stainless steel or tempered steel, which is shaped to obtain the profile shown in the FIG. 2, and is comprised of the following segments:

-   -   The first segment #26, is formed by an axis #31 and a lever #15,         said axis is placed axially in the supports #23 of the body #22         of the Handle #1 that will serve as a point of rotation, where         the lever #15 is pressed at all times by a coil spring or flat         spring #7 of mechanism #21, thereby achieving that Arm #2 has a         retractable rotary movement with respect to said supports #23.     -   The second segment #27 is curved, in the form of an arc, which         connects its ends orthogonally both to axis #15 on one side, and         to Bridge #3 on the other, which, due to the Arm retractable         characteristic, said Bridge #3 presses permanently (through         spring #8) the outer face #14 of tape reel #13.     -   The third segment #28 is comprised of two parallel axes #25,         #19, in which the tape cutting system is installed, in these         axes #25 and #19 the Knife #5 and Shear #6 are located         correspondingly, that, as a result of the interaction of both         pieces, said system makes two straight scissor-type incisions         infringed at the end points #32 of a line transverse to the tape         where it is desired to section. Blade #5 is an element secured         to axis #25 of Arm #2, it has a Cutting Hook #16 on each of its         sides #29, and which, together with Shear #6, which is an         element made preferably made of a resilient material, that         pivots on axis #31 of Arm #2, and it comprises an Drive Shear         Tab #11 on its back, two U-shaped Cutting Blades #30 and a Shear         Lower Tab #12 , both elements located at the front, achieves the         scissor-type cut at the precise moment in which, either the         Drive Shear Tab #11 or the Bridge #3 are pressed by the         operator's thumb, there, the ends of the U-Blades #30, which are         the elements that will cut the transverse ends of the tape, are         driven upwards, moving in a cutting effect on the face of Blade         #5, until reaching and surpassing Cutting Hooks #16.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. An isometric view of the device is shown with a piece of tape in the cutting mechanism.

FIG. 2. Retractable Arm #2 is shown, made in a single solid piece.

FIG. 3. The retractable Arm #2 is shown, made in a single solid piece and with the tape cutting mechanism #20.

FIG. 4. The section A-A′ shown in FIG. 2 is shown

FIG. 5. The device with the retractable arm open is shown, the Handle has been sectioned in order to appreciate the spring mechanism and is installed in a reel of tape.

FIG. 6. The device in the first operation step is shown.

FIG. 7. The device in a second operation step is shown.

FIG. 8. The device in the third and last operation step is shown. (Alternative 1).

FIG. 9. The device in the third and last step of operation step is shown (Alternative 2).

DEVICE OPERATION.

Having described the nature of the present invention, its form and operation, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and modifications can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention as described above.

Tape Reel Load FIG. 5.

To load the device with a new reel of tape, initially Arm #2 must be raised to a position close to the vertical (to overcome the spring system #21, FIG. 5, then the handle #1 is introduced on the tape reel #13, the retractable arm #2 is lowered onto the tape reel, the tape end is passed through the arm opening #4, finally the excess of tape is cut off.

Tape Dispenser FIGS. 6-9.

To dispense tape, the following steps are followed: The operator holds the device by inserting the ring, middle and index fingers inside the reel, the thumb is placed on the Bridge of Arm #3, with the other hand the end of tape located at the end of the Arm #2 is pulled to unroll the amount of tape desired, after application of tape, when it is required to be detached from the reel, the operator rotates the tape reel about its axis approximately 45 degrees until the tape enters the cutting Hooks of Blade #16, once it is lodged at the bottom of these, pressing the Drive Shear Tab #11 will cause the U-Blades #30 to rise and act against the Cutting Hooks. #16 of Blade #5 by cutting both ends of the tape FIG. 8, or this will also be accomplished by depressing Arm Bridge #3 with the operator's thumb to overcome Bridge Spring #8 and allow Retractable Arm #2 comes down, with this, the lower Shear tab #12 will rest on the surface of Tape Reel #13 and elevating U-Blades #30 upwards FIG. 9, in both procedures U-blades #30 will slide over the Surface of Cutting Hooks #16 of Blade #5 cutting the ends of the tape, later, with a light stretch or application of tension on the tape, will cause the cuts to continue from side to side, detaching it easily, the spring of the Arm Bridge #8 will maintain pressure on the reel of tape so It does not rotate when it is at rest, the end of the tape will be attached to the Drive Shear Tab #11 to be easily taken again for a new operation.

To manufacture this tape dispenser, industrial equipment that is common in metal and plastic manufacturing plants, such as steel benders, hydraulic presses, as well as plastic injectors, is required. 

1. Manual adhesive tape dispenser comprising and characterized by: A Handle (1), which is a semi-cylindrical element, which in its upper part has a body (22), said body has a cavity (24), which said upper body (22) serves to manually hold the Handle (1) by using preferably the 3 central fingers, while the thumb of the operator's hand presses the Bridge (3) of the Arm (2), which inside the cavity (24) of this body upper (22) houses a retractable mechanism (21), consisting of a support shaft (10) and a spring (7); An Arm (2), which is an irregularly shaped element, which is made up by three segments; That the first segment (26) is formed by an axis (31) and a lever (15), that said axis (31) is placed axially in the supports (23) of the upper body (22) of the Handle (1) and that serves as an axis of rotation, that said lever (15) is permanently pressed by the spring (7) of the mechanism (21) of the upper body (22) of the Handle (1), thereby obtaining a retractable rotational movement with respect to said supports (23); That the second segment (27) is curved, in the form of an arc, connecting its ends orthogonally both to the axis (31) on one side, and to the Bridge (3) on the other, that due to the retractable characteristic, said Bridge (3) permanently presses, through the spring (8), the outer face (14) of the tape reel (13); That the third segment (28) is mainly composed of two parallel axes (25) and (19) where the tape cutting system (20) is located, which are installed correspondingly on said axes (25) and (19) the Blade (5) and the Shear (6), which as a result of the interaction of both elements, said system makes two straight scissor-type incisions infringed at the end points (32) of a line transverse to the tape where it is desired to section it; That the Blade (5) is an element secured to the axis (25) of the Arm (2), which has a Cutting Hook (16) on each of its sides (29); That together with the Shear (6), which pivots on the axis (19) of the Arm (2), and which is made up of an Actuation Tongue (11) on its back, two U-shaped cutting blades” (30) and a Shear Eyebrow (12), both on the front, achieve the scissor-type cut mentioned at the precise moment when the Drive Tongue (11) or the Bridge (3) are pressed by the thumb of the operator and the ends of the “U” Blades (30), which are the elements that will cut the transverse ends of the tape, are driven upwards, moving in a cutting effect on the face of the Blade (5), until reaching and surpassing the cutting hooks (16).
 2. Manual adhesive tape dispenser as mentioned in claim 1, wherein the Handle (1) is placed on the inner contour of the tape reel (13), allowing the latter to rotate concentrically on the former when dispatch the tape.
 3. Manual adhesive tape dispenser as mentioned in claim 1, wherein the Arm (2) is made of a structurally resilient material.
 4. Manual adhesive tape dispenser as mentioned in claim 1 wherein the Shear (6) is made of a resilient material.
 5. Manual adhesive tape dispenser as mentioned in claim 1, wherein the scissor-like cut in the tape is actuated by a rotary movement of the operator's wrist, which, having previously applied tape and by the rotary movement of the wrist mentioned, generates a surface tension on the tape, producing a downward force on the Actuation Tongue (11) where the tape rests, which will cause the U-Blades (30) to rise, moving in a cutting effect on the face of the Knife (5), until reaching and exceeding the Cutting Hooks (16). 